How bad is a dented cross member? Just want to seek out possibilities on what issues may arise. Throwing the steering out of alignment?

 

You mean subframe? And if do it depends where and how bad. Get some pictures and we'll go from there.

 

I meant to do that when I had it up on the lift...and no I mean the cross member :\. Just trying to figure out if the cross member gets dinked(dented) could it throw off the suspension slightly to cause my steering to be unaligned slightly.

 

It's been a while since I looked under the car without the plastic gaurds. I was thinking it was a subframe up front, but I looked some pictures and you're right. As far as that I highlydoubt a ding would be enough to mess anything up. If it was hit hard enough to knock a mount point out of place it would be more than a ding.

 

Just stuck in a loophole...wondering if I should just take it for an alignment and see how that works out...but the light squeaking from when I turn my wheel all the way to the left only occurs when I'm going under 10mph and have my wheel fully turned. Nothing else seems out of place my car drives fine...I drove it about 70mph on the highway with a turn to see how it feels and it feels like normal. The annoying part is how my steering wheel is unaligned and bares off to the left. The light squeaking noise that came about isn't a HUGE deal but annoying never the less to know that its there but only when going a said speed.

 

I'll put what I wrote on another forum...

I work next to a Nissan dealer like 5 minute walk so I took it their to have it looked at. I brought it to them as soon as I was aware of the problem to have them look at it... I only took it to the dealership because it was convenient. They said the cross member is dented and the car needs an alignment. I ended up taking it to a good local shop and got a look under their myself to noticed the damage they brought up. I had the mechanic at the local shop look at it and identify the part and where as did Nissan...I'm just on edge because its a repair bill and I'm still saying how could the cross member cause a very light squeak and slightly unaligned steering wheel.

 

A hard jar can knock a car out of alignment. Drive the car down the road and hold your hand off the steering wheel if it leads to one side you may be out of alignment, or the road could be leaned. Do a visual check for camber. As for the steering move the wheel to were the tires are straight and make sure both are straight. Then look at the steering shafts coming out of the rack for any bends. If all that checks out I'd call it a day and not worry about it.

 

call it a day and just go with the alignment~

 

Here are the results and prior to the alignment everything felt normal even going 70 just the slight baring off to the left of the steering wheel. Here is the pic~!

 

Hey I'm taking my car to a local shop regarding small squeak when I turn to the left under 15MPH. You replied previously to a post I did with an alignment issue. Anyways, do you think this small light squeak could be my control arm bushings when I turn to the left? If I'm going into a rotary turning around it or cross an intersection it doesn't make any noise, but if I purposely do a 360 in a parking lot in circles you can hear it.